Hello Deadlifts.

They say for writing to write about what you like and what you are passionate about. So this article is about the exercise I love the absolute most-est. And what has made the most positive change in my body.

There’s a link to me lifting 285 at a powerlifting meet with mediocre form. It’s difficult to explain the gratification of achieving a new PR on a deadlift. It’s such a simple lift, but can be so challenging at times and also has an absurbdly high pay off. NEARLY every muscle groups that counts is used during this lift. Let’s break it down a little though:

Prime Moving Muscles: glutes and hammies (seriously ladies and gents, this and the squat are all you need for a great backside and lots of caloric burning potential)

How To Do It Right: Start with your feet about hip width apart. Stand as close to the barbell as you possibly can (chins should be touching the barbell). Hinge* down to the barbell so that your chins are still perpendicular to the ground, hips are sticking out behind you, back is flat and arms are straight. Tightly grip the barbell with your hands.

Grip the bar tightly.

Squeeze your glutes.

Engage your lats.

Push through the ground with your feet and stand up straight, pushing your hips forward to meet the barbell. Hinge back down to the ground, keeping the barbell close to your legs and your back still flat.

Now, as a trainer, there are a million extra cues that I have to hold myself back from mentioning. But the basic tips to not look like a newbie are:

-keep your core tight and don’t round your back excessively

-don’t let the bar drift away from your body (even this picture to the right is beginning to get too far away; it just makes it more difficult to lift)

-start light as to not injure yourself (take it from the girl who deadlifted for her first time assuming the bar weighed 15 lbs, not 45 lbs……)

-push your knees outward so that they don’t cave in toward each other

This information should push you in the right track. The wonderful thing about the deadlift is even after years, you can still work to improve it. Currently, I’ve developed a nasty habit of pushing my weight a little too much and therefore rounding my back more than I’d like. So right now, I’m working to fix that. While continuing to sculpt my butt and legs.

Summary: Deadlifts get you an awesome butt. Deadlifts make you feel strong and confident. Deadlift form is crucial.